Goodbye
by WritelkeUmeanit
Summary: "The day you broke into my bug… best day of my life." - Emma gave a small, teary smile. "Wasn't yours, remember?" - "You stole a stolen car," he agreed. "Yes, I did," She said, her voice soft as she brushed her fingers through his hair. (SwanFire. S3E15. Warning - Character Death.)


A/N: Last night's episode… I'm at a loss for words. I know us Swanfire fans are sad and maybe even angry right now. I know I am. That's why I wrote this. I felt the scene was rushed. I of course wish Neal didn't die, but he did, and I thought there could have been more said between Emma and Neal.

Thank you in advance for reading. I hope you like what I've come up with.

**Goodbye**

It all happened so fast. One minute, Emma was talking on the phone with Belle, and then the next, Neal was falling to the floor. Emma's eyes widened, a scream of panic escaping her lips. She threw her phone to the ground and went down with him. Questions fired from her lips, asking if he was okay, but then his face started to change, going back and forth between himself and Rumple… Emma didn't know what to make of the scene. All she could hear was Belle's voice in her head saying _"he must have traded one life for another… he should be dead." _ Then Emma realized, this was why Rumpel said there were too many voices… Rumpel and Neal, they'd become one person.

Before another thought could enter Emma's mind, Neal was begging for help. He was pleading with her to separate himself from his father.

Emma shook her head vehemently at the idea. "You'll die," she said, her words firm.

"You need my father," Neal said before wincing in pain. Emma frowned, tears welling in her eyes. "He can tell you who the witch is… please, Emma… help me."

Emma didn't want to. She kept shaking her head at the thought while saying, "I've never done something so big," her voice small.

"You can do it. I know you can, Emma. Your strong, the strongest person I know."

"Neal-"

But the man's screams of agony interrupted her thought. "Please, Emma."

Without a word, Emma closed her eyes. She didn't allow herself to think, to second-guess. If she did, she wouldn't do it. She'd bring Neal to the blue fairy or the hospital or something. She'd find another way… but he was in so much pain.

Neal screamed out again and Emma's eyes snapped open in horror. She took Neal's hands trying to focus. She wanted his pain stop. That's what she thought about when she closed her eyes… stop his pain… make him okay…

After a moment, Emma felt a rush of air hit her. She nearly fell back to see Rumpel suddenly next to her. She looked around, her eyes searching for Neal when she found him not a few feet away, lying motionless on the ground.

"Neal!" she exclaimed while rushing to him. "No, no, no, you can't do this. You can't go," Emma said while pulling him onto her lap, holding his head to her chest.

Rumpel looked at her in disbelief. "What did you did?"

"It's okay, papa," Neal said, his voice faint. "I told her too."

"But why?"

"So you can tell them who the witch is. So you can defeat her."

Through tight lips, Rumpel said, "Zelena."

Emma looked at him in shock. "But why? What does she want?"

"What she doesn't have."

"But you can fix him, right? Please, you have to fix him," Emma begged, her eyes on Rumpel.

The man shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. He didn't know what to say.

"No," Emma cried while looking back to Neal. "I just got you back. And Henry, he needs you, he needs his dad. I was wrong, Neal. I'm sorry. I don't want to keep you from him. Please, don't go, Don't' leave me" she begged.

"I'm sorry, Emma," Neal apologized, his body fading in and out. "I saved this for you," he said while pulling something from his pocket.

Emma's water filled eyes widened in surprise at the swan pendant dangling from the necklace he held.

"It's yours. Please. I want you to have it."

Emma nodded while taking the necklace in her hand, closing her fingers around the chain and holding the pendant tightly in her palm.

"I love you, Emma Swan."

Emma closed her eyes while putting her check to Neal's forehead. Her gaze wondered to Rumpel. He was crying…. The dark one, the man with all the magic in the world… for once, he was powerless.

"I love you too, Neal."

"We… we were happy once… right?" he asked while using every bit of strength he had to hold on.

The question caused more tears to fall from Emma's eyes, the salty droplets landing on Neal's forehead. "You were my home, Neal… you had my heart… you still do. You always will."

The man gave a smile. "Something good came from us being together."

Emma lifted her head to find his eyes. "Something amazing came from us being together," she corrected.

"You have to promise me that you'll find happiness. You and Henry."

"Neal-"

"Emma, please."

She closed her eyes, her body filled with so much anger and sadness, she couldn't separate the two emotions.

She looked to Neal seconds later and said, "I'm not losing you."

"Still so stubborn," Neal said with a small smile.

"We need to find Tallahassee. You promised me," she said, her voice changing. She was angry.

"You'll find it… you and Henry."

"No, no, no, no!" she shouted. "God damn it! No!" Emma looked up to the sky, tears racing from her blue eyes. "Why the hell is this happening? Why are you taking him?! What about his son!? What about Henry?!... Why… Why is he… Why can't I save him!?"

"Emma, hey," Neal said, his voice gentle. "Promise me you and Henry will find happiness."

Her heart was racing as she looked to the man in her arms. "It's okay," he said, "Wherever I go, I'll be watching over you... I'll never leave you, Emma. I'll always be with you... I'll be right here," he said while putting his hand to her heart.

Emma squeezed her eyes shut while holding his hand there, right over her beating heart. "I promise," she murmured. "This isn't fair," Emma said, her voice weak.

"I'm sorry… all I've done is hurt you and I'm doing it again."

"No, no, don't you dare think that," Emma argued. "I know now. I know the truth… you were only trying to help. You wanted me to find home. To break the curse… I know the truth, Neal. I know you love me."

"The day you broke into my bug… best day of my life."

Emma gave a small, teary smile. "Wasn't yours, remember?"

"You stole a stolen car," he agreed.

"Yes, I did," She said, her voice soft as she brushed her fingers through his hair.

"You've gotta let go, Emma."

She shook her head. "No, not yet, please, just… not yet."

Neal closed his eyes. He took a deep, painful breath, and then opened them to find Emma's blue orbs locked on him.

"My Em," he murmured.

"You'll always be the only one who calls me that."

Neal smiled while reaching to wipe tears from her face but Emma leaned into his touch. Her eyes fell closed as Neal held her cheek, his thumb brushing back and forth.

"Henry… can you just… can you tell him I love him?"

Emma nodded, her eyes falling open. "I'll tell him all about his dad. I promise."

"If I had known you were pregnant, I wouldn't have-"

"Neal," Emma interrupted, her words soft. "You didn't know. It wasn't your fault. I didn't know either… and I know you wouldn't have."

"I listened to August when I shouldn't-"

"Don't," Emma said. "Think about Henry. He would have wanted you to listen to him. He would have wanted me to bring back the happy endings."

Neal smiled a bit. "I wish I could have been there though."

"Me too," she agreed.

Neal winced in pain and Emma held tighter, putting her cheek back to his forehead. "It hurts, Emma."

"I know," she said, her voice barely loud enough to hear as a fresh round of tears boiled in her eyes, "but I don't want you to go."

"Emma."

"Yeah?"

"Look at me."

She pulled away enough to find his eyes. "I have to go now."

"No," She argued.

"I'm sorry, Em," he apologized. "But… something is puling me away, I can't… I can't hold on."

"Yes you can, for me, please," she pleaded. "We'll find Blue. She'll fix this. She'll make you better. You just have to hold on."

"No, no, no, I can fix this," Rumpel said stubbornly while rushing towards them.

"No, papa, no," Neal argued. "Thank you for showing me what it means to make a true sacrifice for the ones you love… it's my turn now."

Rumpel shook his head as the tears fell. He was at a loss. All of those years spent trying to find his son and now he was watching him die.

"I love you, son."

"Love you too, papa."

"Neal, no, don't. You have to fight, please… for me," she begged as she watched him slip away.

"I'm sorry, Emma… I…. I love you."

Before Emma could return the words, the man blew his final breath.

Emma cried further. She wouldn't let go of him. She couldn't. As long a she held on, he'd still be with her. If she let go, he'd really be gone.

"Emma?"

Rumpel turned to the man's voice to find David approaching. Seeing the tears in Rumpel's eyes, David's attention darted back to Emma. Her arms were wound tightly around Neal, her cheek pressed to his forehead. David rushed to the scene, sliding to the ground.

"He's gone," Emma murmured. "Zelena. It's all her fault. Shes the wicked witch. I want her dead. Now."

David didn't know what to say. He approached his daughter, putting his arms around her, trying to gently pull her away from Neal, but she wouldn't budge.

"I can't leave him."

"Go," Rumpel insisted. "I'll watch him. Go. Kill her." Rumpel said, his words filled with just as much anger as Emma's.

"Emma… I… nothing I can say will make this okay… everything you've been through… but we have to stop her… your mother… she's alone with your mother."

Emma nodded, just barely. She opened her palm, looking at the necklace in her hand. Then she looked to Neal and said. "I'll never take it off again. Never. I promise."

David watched as she put her swan necklace around her neck.

"I have to go. I swear, I'm gonna kill her Neal," Emma said as she let her father help her stand on shaky feet. David pulled her into a hug, cradling her head in his hand.

"I'm so sorry, Emma."

Emma felt a new round of tears threatening to spill but she took a breath. She pulled away from her father, squared her shoulders and said, "Let's go kill the wicked the witch."

_The End…_

**Thoughts before you go? Please and Thank you! **


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